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(Dis)placed: Expressions of Identity in Transition

Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture
Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture’s (Dis)placed Public Forum #1. Photo by Chip Colson.
Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture’s (Dis)placed Public Forum #1. Photo by Chip Colson.
eL Seed, Soul of the Black Bottom, commissioned by Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture and Mural Arts Philadelphia. Photo by Steve Weinik.
eL Seed, Soul of the Black Bottom, commissioned by Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture and Mural Arts Philadelphia. Photo by Steve Weinik.
Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture’s (Dis)placed Public Forum #3. Photo by Chip Colson.
Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture’s (Dis)placed Public Forum #3. Photo by Chip Colson.
Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture’s (Dis)placed Public Forum #2. Photo by Chip Colson.
Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture’s (Dis)placed Public Forum #2. Photo by Chip Colson.
eL Seed, Soul of the Black Bottom, commissioned by Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture and Mural Arts Philadelphia. Photo by Steve Weinik.
eL Seed, Soul of the Black Bottom, commissioned by Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture and Mural Arts Philadelphia. Photo by Steve Weinik.
Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture’s (Dis)placed Public Forum #1. Photo by Chip Colson.
Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture’s (Dis)placed Public Forum #1. Photo by Chip Colson.
Kinan Abou-Afach, 2013 Pew Fellow. Photo by Colin Lenton.
Kinan Abou-Afach, 2013 Pew Fellow. Photo by Colin Lenton.
Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture’s (Dis)placed Public Forum #1. Photo by Chip Colson.
Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture’s (Dis)placed Public Forum #1. Photo by Chip Colson.
Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture’s (Dis)placed Public Forum #3. Photo by Chip Colson.
Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture’s (Dis)placed Public Forum #3. Photo by Chip Colson.
Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture’s (Dis)placed showcase and concert. Photo by Chip Colson.
Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture’s (Dis)placed showcase and concert. Photo by Chip Colson.
Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture’s (Dis)placed showcase and concert. Photo by Chip Colson.
Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture’s (Dis)placed showcase and concert. Photo by Chip Colson.
Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture’s (Dis)placed showcase and concert. Photo by Chip Colson.
Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture’s (Dis)placed showcase and concert. Photo by Chip Colson.

Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture presented (Dis)placed: Expressions of Identity in Transition, an international collaboration among four artists of Arab heritage who created new work grappling with notions of displacement. Collaborators included Syrian composer and Pew Fellow Kinan Abou-afach, Lebanese poet Nazem El Sayed, Syrian visual artist Buthayna Ali, and Tunisian visual artist eL Seed. Each artist was in residence in Philadelphia and held public viewings and open rehearsals of works in progress, accompanied by poetry readings, public discussions, and art installations, in an effort to foster close engagement between the artists and the local community. In advance of the residencies, Al-Bustan worked with Philadelphia residents who have been impacted by displacement, collecting diverse stories, photos, and video that provided a jumping-off point for the artists' work.


*Additional unrestricted funds are added to each grant for general operating support.*
Recipient
Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture

Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture

Over the past 10 years, Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture has emerged as one of the country's leading Arab arts organizations, featuring year-round programming with some of the finest Arab artists working today. Within a welcoming educational environment, Al-Bustan supports the Arab American community's pursuit and affirmation of its cultural identity, while playing a constructive civic role within broader American society. 

 

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